


Intervention

by ThatMasterOnline



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:56:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28792803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatMasterOnline/pseuds/ThatMasterOnline
Summary: Based on the beautiful work of art found here: https://autumn-sacura.tumblr.com/post/637129704852307968/hades-game-fanart-thanatos-and-ares-based-onSisyphus captures Thanatos, and Ares is annoyed because wars are boring when nobody dies, so he intervenes and frees Thanatos. Will probably have a second chapter.
Relationships: Ares/Thanatos (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 86





	1. Rescue

_ Blast! _

Thanatos cursed himself as he sat in the darkness. He cursed his stupidity, his arrogance, his weakness. Sisyphus had asked permission to inspect the manacles before he was placed in them. As Thanatos had held a manacle out to him…Sisyphus had snapped them around his own wrists. Subduing the rest of him had been no great difficulty then, not for one so powerful as Sisyphus.

_ Curse you, Sisyphus...Curse you! _

Now, his wrists were held above his head, connected by a single chain looped through a ring stuck into the wall. It allowed movement, but he could not lower his arms. His ankles had been given similar treatment, bound to a similar ring in the floor. He writhed, he struggled, he screamed, but no help came. He needed no food, no water...Sisyphus could abandon him here and here Thanatos would remain, alive, for eternity.

None would mourn. Not the gods, certainly not the mortals. What fool of a mortal would mourn the end of death? It was always their dream to live in perpetuity, failing to understand the necessity of death in their short lives. None understood his purpose. And so none would come save him from this torment.

Hours, days...there was no way to tell how long he had been down there. There were brief periods of struggle, now and again. Energy would come to him in a fit, he would struggle and pull, and grunt with the effort. He would exhaust all his energy, and the chain that held him wouldn't even look scratched. Of course not. Thanatos had designed it himself, to keep Sisyphus bound for eternity. Thanatos hung his head. In the darkness, with none to see him, Thanatos let himself weep.

Who knew how long it had been, now? Thanatos had long since lost feeling in his arms and legs. Movement was agony. He'd exhausted all his energy. There was nothing now, nothing but the darkness, the dim glow of the single ever-burning candle and the flickering sounds it produced, the sharp rattle of his chain, and the feel of his own voice as it escaped him in deep, agonized groans. Sometimes, he groaned just to feel the vibration in his chest, just to feel something that wasn't pain. Soon enough, he didn't have energy even for that. 

He sat in that torturous hell for an eternity and then some, his legs bent but limp, his head bowed, his arms held aloft by the chains. The searing pain in his body felt like numbness, at this point. The mocking candle flame became a soothing lullaby, and for the first time in his existence, he felt weary. His brother was calling to him, a sirensong that was impossible to resist. He understood now, why mortals were so fascinated with sleep. His eyelids felt heavy, but the promise of sleep was so impossibly delicious that he was powerless to deny it. Little by little, drop by smoky, syrupy drop, his consciousness faded, and Thanatos slept.

The sound of a snap registered in his sleep-heavy brain. And then another, and another and another. His mind told him they were loud, but they sounded distant to him. Wind, the feeling of wind on his body, and then pressure, so hot he could barely stand it. The pressure snaked around his body, stopped behind his knees and around his back and side, and Thanatos groaned as another breeze ghosted over his skin. He groaned again, the breeze became a constant thing, and he sighed his pleasure at the sensation. His strength returned by degrees, and slowly he opened his eyes. What he saw was...the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on.

Wild red eyes were focused on his, alight with the thrill of a successful hunt. White war paint made the red of the eyes all the more striking, and then more so in contrast to the man's ashen-grey skin. The man was grinning, grinning with fierce pride, their faces were so close the man's shock-white hair nearly caressed his face, and the man stared at him with such intensity that at once Thanatos felt himself to be the prey of a mighty hunter, or the spoils of war. They were moving, he realized, the sky streaking past and the wind whipping the man's hair. Slowly, the light of awe at his saviour faded and Thanatos came to realize that he knew this man.

"L...Lor...d...A...A...res…" Ares's manic grin grew wider and he outright laughed, a wild, untamed sound.

"It pleases me to hear your voice, Thanatos. But rest a little longer, you are weak yet, far too weak for my liking." Thanatos closed his eyes, and let the feel of the gentle breeze on his skin lull him to sleep.


	2. Rest

Sheets. Silk sheets. How lovely they felt on his skin. Smooth, and soft...very unlike the cold, hard floor of his prison. He turned his head to the side and found more silk, from the pillow his head was resting on. He stretched his fingers a little - another soft pillow. This truly was divine. What careful pampering was this, and to whom did he owe his unending gratitude? 

His body ached still from the unforgiving position it had been forced to hold, but with rest he knew he would heal. Rest, and more of these delicious silk sheets. It was all wonderful, but he wanted to explore, to find out where he was, how he had gotten here, what had happened. To that end, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes slowly.

The first thing he saw was red drapery delicately streaming across a white ceiling. He moved his head to follow it, and saw that it dipped down, then up, then hung down where drapery met wall. In looking at the drapery, he also found Lord Ares himself sitting at his bedside, and Thanatos turned his attention to him.

The fire in his eyes had dimmed somewhat, lingering embers instead of an all-out glow, but Thanatos still thought himself a prize for a successful battle. 

"Lord Ares...Am I correct in saying it was you who rescued me from that dungeon?" As before, Ares grinned at him.

"You are indeed. You gave me quite a turn when I found you unmoving and shackled to the wall. I confess that for a moment I feared Death Himself had succumbed to that which he gave out." Thanatos remembered the circumstances through which he had been shackled to the wall, and his eyes lowered, and he clenched his fist in the sheets covering his body.

"Blasted Sisyphus...This trickery will  _ not  _ go unpunished…"

"Nor should it. I give you my word that before the month is finished Sisyphus will be shackled exactly as you were." 

"...You?"

"Indeed. Wars are quite dull when there is no death to be wrought. I realize now that I thought too little of you before, and I seek to make up for that now. While you recover, I shall grant your every wish, and once you have healed you shall resume your duties and provide me with endless entertainment." Thanatos found himself smiling.

"...I confess, I feared none would mourn my absence."

"You needn't fear any longer, Thanatos. Fear of death is what makes war exciting, and so without you my life has no purpose. Should you ever have need of me again, you need only call, I will come."

"...You know...many have said to me that they accepted their death only because it finally brought some peace after the chaos of war. To that end...I suppose you also deserve my thanks, for making my work a little easier." Ares grinned at him.

"Glad we could strike an accord. Now, do you wish to watch the chaining of Sisyphus, or is news of his capture vengeance enough?"

"I shall wish to visit him, at some point. But no, I have no real desire to witness his capture for myself." Ares stood.

"Then I take my leave, and when I return Sisyphus shall be chained down in Tartarus where he belongs. You, my colleague, need only rest and recover, the sooner to return to your work."

"You may find, Lord Ares, that those who were meant to die during my captivity have now passed with my release. Now that I am free, mortals should die as they are meant to, whether or not I am there to escort them to their final resting place." Ares looked like a child allowed to have a treat.

"Then my aid is yours entirely. Whatever you need, or even should you wish for me to take on your duties for a while, do not hesitate to call on me."

"That is...very generous, Lord Ares." 

"No more generous than the gift of your existence, Thanatos. Now rest, for I have an arrogant, deceitful mortal to capture and bring to justice."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This doesn't come up in the fic, but Thanatos was trapped for a month.


End file.
